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No. 38.)
TIRUMUKKUDAL INSCRIPTION OF VIRARAJENDRA.
221
and their places are filled up by plain ones. In the second section, a few pillars have been inserted in later times close to the inscribed wall and these obstruct a part of the inscription. Though the letters so obstructed have not come out in the impression, yet they have been read from the stone.
Regarding the orthography of the record the following peculiaritiez deserve to be noted. The letters n and n have been quite indifferently used. The wrong employment of the former not only before n and r but also at the end of words is noticeable in many places, e.g., yannanrannai (1.4), Vimayanrannai (1. 4), magan and marravan (1.1). Similarly we find the incorrect use of ?! before t and at the commencement of words, e.g., sāmanta (l. 2), maindarum (1. 2) and Nulamba (1 4). There are several instances where the sandhi rules have not been observed : e.g., Irugaiyandēvi (1. 1), põrir-Dandao (1.4), tanmir-tio (1. 4), Kēšavan- Dao (1.2) and Süųukkallirajaya (1.9). In the first three cases here cited, the t and d should have been changed into r, in the fourth, !! should have been omitted and in the fifth r should have been replaced by l. A few mistakes of spelling also occur, e.g., nintum for ninrun= (1.1), nāłtinai for nātidai (1. 1) and pūnar for punar (1.1) The use of certain words and phrases deserves notice, e.g. Putpagappidi the name of a royal elephant' (1.3), kéttini, (1. 6), kachchana (i.e., gadyāņa) (1.11), cholliya pökki, (1. 6), mudal tavirndu, mudal eduttu, (1. 11), viraśēlai and daśabandum (1. 11).
The inscription opens with the historical introduction commencing with the words tiru-valar, etc., in which are chronicled, in greater detail than hitherto known, the political events that took place in the reign of the Chola king Rājakąśarivarman alias Virarājēndradēva up to the sixth year, the date of the record. It states that the king, while he was seated on the throne called Rājēndrasola-Mavalivānarājan in his palace named Sõlakēra!an-tirumāļigai at Gangaikon.' dasõlapuram, was pleased to order that the amount of 75 kalanju of gold which the residents of the dēvadāna village of Vayalaikkävūr had been paying towards the maintenance of a feeding house (sālā)-together with certain customary dues raised from the same village which had been assigned as a sālābhöga to the temple of Maha-Vishņu at Tirumukkūdal in the second year of the king's predecessor Parakēsarivarman Rājēndradēva 'who took Rattapāņi 7 lakhs, and defeated Ahavamalla twice on the battle field '-should be entered in the accounts from the current year as a tax-free dēvadāna to be utilised for the expenses (nimanda) of the god. This royal order (kelvi) of the king was committed to writing by an official whose designation was tirumandiravālai (Royal Secretary) and attested to by three others designated tirumandiravolai-näyayam (Chief Royal Secretary). When this royal mandate was received, certain officials who may be called the authorising officers (eval) gave the command and this was seconded by thirty-eight persons belonging to three sections or departments of the state, viz., six of udan kütam (Royal attendants or aide-de camps), twenty-eight of vidaiyil, i.e., those who issue permits, and four of the naduvirukkai (arbitrators). Thereafter thirty-two officers of the Accounts Department belonging to ten! different sections assembled together, of whom four persons authorised the entry, one read the order, another made the entry and still another issued the revised account. The entry made by the officers was to the following effect :
The gift to the temple of Maha-Vishnu at Tirumukküdal consisted of (1) 75 kalanju of gold which the residents of Vayalaikkāvür were paying for the sala, (2) certain specified dues on the said dēvadāna village, and (3) 72 kalanju' and 9 mañjadi of gold which formed a prior dēvadāna
1 Theue ten sections are i) puravusvaritinaikkaļam, (2) darippottagam, (3) puravutari-tinaikkala-kaykani, (4) mugavetti, (5) terippu, (6) taravu-sáttu, (7) palaniyāyam,(8) variyilidu, (9) varippottaga-kanakku and(10) prutfölai. Of these, the first may be taken to mean General Accounts,' the second 'Tax-Register,' the third Examiner of General Revenuen,' the fourth Index Keeper,' the fifth Receipta,' the sixth 'Opening and Cloring Accounts,' the seventh Old Artears, the eighth 'Entry in Tax-Register,' the ninth 'Accountant of Tax Register,' and the tenth 'Keeper of the Royal Orders'.
:) kalauju - 20 mañjadi ; 1 manjidi-2 luni 10 ma,
